It's a Goode Life: Lions and Tigers and Bears... Who Cares

I am beginning to learn that life with a two year old is chalk full of life lessons. Recently we took Addie to the zoo. She absolutely adores animals so her father and I could not wait to see her face as she saw so many unique creatures in one place. We knew she would LOVE the zoo!


Much to our dismay, Add had little interest in most of the animals. She paused briefly for most of the animals, almost as if to humor us, but for the most part she was generally uninterested.


After she passed by the tigers, polar bears and penguins with little to no amazement... the child that can find gum wrappers amazing... her daddy and I began to sulk. The day was not turning out at all like we had planned.


As we pouted, we began to notice something...Addie was having the TIME OF HER LIFE racing from bench to fence to bridge to bench. She was in heaven running around and enjoying all the plants and landscaping. We kept trying to entice her with the animals, but it was only keeping her from what she was thoroughly enjoying all on her own. We were so focused on what we wanted her to experience that we didn't even notice the world she had discovered.


I am sure if Addie could tell you about the zoo she would tell you that she had an amazing time at the most amazing jungle gym ever. Just goes to show you that we all see the world differently. My daughter saw the landscaping and plants where I just saw animals. Someone took great labor to landscape and care for all the plants at the zoo and my 2 year old daughter taught me to stop and appreciate things from a different perspective.

It's a Goode Life: Driving Forward

I learned a valuable lesson today as I was taking my daughter to visit her grandparents at a nearby horse campground. I noticed that getting there took forever, yet driving back was so much easier because I had a clear vision of where I was going.

On my way to the camp I was second guessing myself every few minutes and wondering if I was turning the wrong direction or driving miles out of my way because I didn't know where to turn exactly. I saw many roads that "could" have been right but didn't feel right. Finally we arrived, but only after a lot of effort and time.

The way back was smooth sailing. I knew the goal was my home... I knew what it looked like... I knew when I was getting close and I was confident in my abilities to get there. I passed those confusing roads with a sense of clarity that allowed me to get home quicker and with ease... almost as if I was on auto-pilot.

This reminds me of the biblical story of Peter walking on water. When he took his eyes off of Jesus and began looking at the waves around him, he lost his footing, began drowning and lost his faith in the ability to acheive what he set out to do. It was only when he kept his eye on where he was going and the God that promised to get him there that the reality of the waves couldn't even stop him. Peter's story has taught me a lot about what to focus on in life and this potentially scary world.

This also reminds me so much of a book I recently read by Lou Tice (Smart Talk). After reading Tice's book, I am seeing so much clearer that in order to excel in any area of life, I need a picture of what success in that area would look like to me so that I can drive forward... many times on auto pilot. It is so refreshing to know that I don't have to "white-knuckle" my way through life. It is also a lot of fun to dream about what success means to me as a mommy, wife, friend, professional, christian, etc.

I am not giving Tice's book justice here... his book is jam packed with wisdom and insight. If you haven't read it, I would make it your next read. It is easily one of the top five books I have ever read and second only to the Bible in changing my life.

Below are some pics from our surprisingly educational trip to the horse camp :)

Grandpa's girl

Ms. Hollywood stylin' with Grandma B

Addie Grace wearing Grandpa's cowboy hat